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Mathew Leckie

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Mathew Leckie
Born (1991-02-04) February 4, 1991 (age 35)
Melbourne, Australia
OccupationProfessional footballer
Years active2009–present
Known forPlaying for Melbourne City FC and the Australian national team (Socceroos), captain of the national team

Mathew Allan Leckie (born 4 February 1991) is an Australian professional footballer currently playing for A-League side Melbourne City and representing the Australian national team, where he has also held the position of captain.[1] Renowned for his pace and nimbleness, Leckie mainly operates as a winger but has been deployed in various roles including midfielder, striker or second striker,[2] and wing-back.[3]

Early years

Raised in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs, Leckie initially dreamed of pursuing Australian rules football, influenced by his family’s support for clubs such as Essendon and Box Hill. However, after enrolling at a multicultural school in Sunshine North at age 11, he redirected his focus towards football and committed wholeheartedly to the sport.

Leckie featured for Victorian State League Division 1 team Bulleen Lions until 2 September 2009, when he secured a two-year professional contract with Adelaide United.[4]

Adelaide United

Leckie made his A-League debut on 18 September 2009, coming off the bench for Adelaide United against Melbourne Victory.[5]

He quickly made his mark in the AFC Champions League, netting the decisive goal versus defending champions Pohang Steelers on 24 February 2010 at Hindmarsh Stadium.[6] He followed this by scoring again in a 2–0 triumph over Shandong Luneng.[7] Hailed as one of Australia's most promising young players,[8] Leckie started the 2010–11 campaign strongly, registering two goals within five matches and earning a call-up to the Australian U19 squad for the 2010 AFC Under-19 Championships.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Following the conclusion of the A-League season, Leckie transferred to German club Borussia Mönchengladbach. He opened his scoring account with a brace during a 5–2 friendly victory over Aberdeen on 9 July 2011. In early 2013, he was loaned out to Frankfurt, where he scored three goals across two appearances for their reserve side.

FSV Frankfurt

On 3 June 2013, Leckie’s loan move to FSV Frankfurt was made permanent through a three-year contract extending to 2016. He described this transfer as an opportunity to enhance his development following a productive loan spell featuring 28 matches and four goals.

FC Ingolstadt 04

On 7 May 2014, he committed to a three-year contract with FC Ingolstadt 04. During his tenure, the team achieved promotion to the Bundesliga at the conclusion of the 2014–15 campaign. In the 2015–16 Bundesliga season, Leckie contributed three goals, including a memorable effort against FC Augsburg.

Hertha BSC

Leckie joined Hertha BSC on 22 May 2017 ahead of the 2017–18 season. He made an immediate impression by assisting two goals in his debut competitive appearance in the DFB Pokal, followed by scoring twice in his Bundesliga debut against VfB Stuttgart, securing a 2–0 victory. He described this stretch as "one of the best weeks" of his life.

His first goal in European competition came on 23 November 2017 during the Europa League, netting in a 3–2 away defeat to Athletic Bilbao.

Starting from the 2019–20 campaign, Leckie's involvement diminished considerably, playing only thirteen matches across all tournaments compared to forty-eight in previous seasons, and he has not found the net since. Early 2020 reports revealed his intention to depart Hertha BSC, stating: "[I'll] do everything I can to leave," though he ultimately decided in May 2020 to remain for an additional season due to family considerations.

Melbourne City FC

On 5 June 2021, Leckie agreed to a three-year contract with Melbourne City FC. He was awarded the Joe Marston Medal during the 2025 A-League Men Grand Final as Melbourne City triumphed 1–0 over Melbourne Victory in the first-ever grand final contested between these rivals in the Melbourne Derby.

International career

In August 2009, Leckie represented Australia at the AFF U19 Youth Championship 2009, scoring during the 4–1 semi-final victory against Vietnam. He also featured in the Australian Under-19 squad for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship.

Coach Pim Verbeek named Leckie among the 25-man Socceroos roster for the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifying match against Indonesia; however, he did not feature in the 1–0 win that secured Australia's qualification.

Under coach Holger Osieck, Leckie appeared as a late substitute in a friendly match versus South Korea on 14 November 2012. Subsequently, coach Ange Postecoglou selected him for the friendly against Costa Rica on 19 November 2013.

2014 World Cup

Leckie delivered an impressive performance at the World Cup, with analysts valuing him around $10 million. Reflecting on his decision to sign with German second-tier club FC Ingolstadt, he expressed no regrets despite potential interest from bigger clubs following his tournament display. He stated, "So whether I could have maybe had other offers now after this World Cup if I hadn't signed, I never would have known."

2015 Asian Cup

Leckie was selected for Australia's squad in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He was in the starting lineup for Australia's opening fixture against Kuwait, where he struck the crossbar during the second half and assisted James Troisi in scoring the team's fourth goal, playing a key role in Australia's 4–1 triumph.

2017 Confederations Cup

In May 2017, Leckie was named to Australia's roster for the 2017 Confederations Cup. He started in the first two group stage matches and entered as a substitute in the 57th minute during the match versus Chile.

2018 World Cup qualification

Leckie netted his second goal for Australia on 3 September 2015, opening the scoring against Bangladesh in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. On 5 September 2017, he scored his sixth international goal in a game against Thailand.

In May 2018, Leckie was included among the 23 players selected for Australia's squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia.

Captaincy

Leckie was appointed captain of the Socceroos in May 2021, taking over from the retired Mark Milligan. Later that year, he stepped away from international duty indefinitely due to COVID-19 quarantine protocols affecting travelers returning from abroad.

2022 World Cup

Selected once again for Australia's squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Leckie scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Denmark during the final group stage match. This crucial goal secured Australia's progression to the round of 16.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bulleen Royals 2008[9] Victorian State League Division 1 11 1 — — 11 1
Bulleen Lions 2009[10] 16 14 — — 16 14
Total 27 15 — — 27 15
Adelaide United 2009–10 A-League 20 3 — — 20 3
2010–11 15 5 — 6[lower-alpha 2] 2 21 7
Total 35 8 — 6 2 41 10
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2011–12 Bundesliga 9 0 2 0 — 11 0
Borussia Mönchengladbach II 2011–12 Regionalliga West 10 3 — — 10 3
FSV Frankfurt 2012–13 2. Bundesliga 28 4 2 1 — 30 5
2013–14 31 10 2 2 — 33 12
Total 59 14 4 3 — 63 17
FSV Frankfurt II 2012–13 Regionalliga Südwest 5 4 — — 5 4
FC Ingolstadt 2014–15 2. Bundesliga

32 ||7 ||0 ||0 ||colspan="2"|— ||32 ||7

2015–16 Bundesliga 32 3 0 0 — 32 3
2016–17 30 0 2 0 — 32 0
Total 94 10 2 0 — 96 10


International Career

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Appearances Goals
Australia 2012 1 0
2013 4 1
2014 11 0
2015 12 1
2016 9 1
2017 12 3
2018 10 3
2019 4 2
2021 4 2
2022 10 1
2023 1 0
2024 1 0
Overall total 79 14
International goals sorted by date, location, cap number, opponent, scoreline, match outcome, and tournament
No. Date Venue Cap number Opponent Score at time of goal Final result Tournament
1 15 October 2013 Craven Cottage, London, England 4 Template:Fb 3–0 3–0 Friendly match
2 3 September 2015 Perth Oval, Perth, Australia 26 Template:Fb 1–0 5–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round
3 4 June 2016 Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia 31 Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 Friendly match
4 23 March 2017 PAS Stadium, Teheran, Iran 38 Template:Fb 1–0 1–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round
5 28 March 2017 Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia 39 Template:Fb 2–0 2–0
6 5 September 2017 Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia 46 Template:Fb 2–1 2–1
7 1 June 2018 ! rowspan=2 |NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria ! rowspan=2 align=center |52 ! rowspan=2 |Template:Fb ! align=center |1–0 ! rowspan=2 |4–0 !rowspan=3 |Friendly match
3–0
9 20 November 2018 !Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia !59 !Template:Fb !3–0 !3–0
10 10 September 2019 ! rowspan=2 |Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait ! rowspan=2 align=center |62 ! rowspan=2 |Template:Fb ! align=center |1–0 ! rowspan=2 |3–0 ! rowspan=4 |2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round#Group B
2–0
12 3 June 2021 !Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait !64 !Template:Fb !1–0 !3–0
13 11 June 2021 !Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait !65 !Template:Fb !1–0 !3–0
14 30 November 2022 !Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar !76 !Template:Fb !1–0 !1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D


Achievements

Ingolstadt 04

Melbourne City

Australia National Team

Australia U-20 Team

Individual Accolades

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sportingnews.com
  2. ↑ Kidd, Robert (14 November 2018). "Mathew Leckie: 'Anything can happen at the Asian Cup'". The Guardian Australia.
  3. ↑ Leckie eyes new Socceroos role after big Ange 'change' (23 March 2018). The Morning Bulletin.
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).


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